How does interactivity promote preventive health behavior? : the mediating roles of disgust and perceived threats

The current study examined how interactivity on health websites that contain disgust-eliciting elements promote preventive behaviors in the context of an anti-sugar campaign. A single factor design experiment (N = 109) with two conditions (high vs. low interactivity) was employed to investigate the effects of website interactivity on sugar control intentions with disgust and perceived threats as serial mediators. The results demonstrated that higher interactivity elicited greater disgust, which then subsequently increased perceived threats of sugar intake. Perceived threats heightened by disgust led to greater preventive behavioral intentions. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed